As consumer electronics technology continues to advance, a common expectation is that newer generations of devices, in addition to having better performance, also weigh less and are thinner than previous comparable devices. This expectation is especially common for mobile computing devices. For instance, laptop and netbook computer users expect that each new generation of such computing devices will weigh less and be thinner than previous generations of comparable devices.
Elements of a computing device that contribute to a given device's overall thickness (or overall z-height) may be referred to as being in (or part of) the “critical stack.” One element that contributes to the overall z-height of such devices is the respective z-height of keyboard input devices that are used in such devices. Reducing the respective z-height of such keyboard input devices, however, is difficult, in part, due to the use of pantograph (x-shaped, scissor-type) mechanisms for each key, where the pantograph mechanism guides the vertical travel of its corresponding key when the cap key (keycap) of the key mechanism is pressed (e.g., by a user), and functions as a spring mechanism to return the keycap to its un-pressed position when released (e.g., by the user).